Jacques Kallis to Quit Test Cricket After India Series

Jacques Kallis, one of the greatest ever all-rounders to have played the game, will be retiring from test cricket after the India series. Kallis, South Africa's highest run getter in tests, the 4th highest test run scorer and 2nd most test century maker in the world, intents to play on in ODIs with the 2015 World Cup as the target. Besides all the runs, close to 300 test wickets and almost 200 catches makes Kallis the preeminent all-rounder of his time, and one of the best ever in the history of the game.
Farewell, Jacques!.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/southafrica/content/current/story/703801.html

he was planning to retire with Tendulkar it seems   ...but BCCI / Lorgat threw water over the "best made plans"

what a player.....amongst the best batsmen of his generation....and the amongts the best allrounder across generations

The big question for South Africa is, Who After Kallis?
To replace an all-rounder of Kallis' stature is very nearly impossible. So how should SA go about it? Under Guru Garry, they have come to like the security of the 7th batsman, Kallis' bowling and AB taking the gloves have given them the necessary space to do that without their world class bowling being stretched. Now that Kallis is gone, what should be the way forward?
There is Ryan McLaren, and there is Chris Morris. There is Wayn Parnell who many believe can bat in international cricket. But none of them are really quality all-rounders as such, and none makes a strong case to make it to the side on the basis of one of the disciplines really.
Without Kallis, they would find it really difficult to play Imran Tahir anywhere other than a raging turner against a spin suspect batting lineup. They can bring in Robin Peterson or Simon Harmer and bat them in the top 7, and then play one of McLaren or Morris as the bowling all-rounder at 8, and with big Vern in at 9, the balance can somewhat be retained?
Or they can bring in Quinton de Kock in, give him the gloves, and relieve AB of the extra responsibility and let him focus on his batting.
Smith
Petersen
Amla
de Villiers
du Plessis
Duminy
Harmer/Peterson
Morris/McLaren
Philander
Steyn
Morkel.
Or
Smith
Petersen
Amla
de Villiers
du Plessis
Duminy
de Kock
Peterson/Harmer
Philander
Steyn
Morkel
Or they can replace Duminy with de Kock and bat him at 6, and play 2 all-rounders, a spinning one and a fastbowling one.

SA is OK...Philander is an allrounder and even Morkel, Peterson and some of their other bowlers are no mucks with the bat.
Albie Morkel is an allrounder of quality....not of Kallis's quality...

Thankfully Kallis finished the series and retired

Firstly let me say I am very proud to be a South African and to have had the opportunity to see the best allrounder South Africa has ever produced.

He will be a legend all over the world.

I think it is the right time for him to retire as well, rather go whilst you still have respect for your abilities than stick around when it will be hard to be dropped by virtue of your reputation.

As for replacing him, it isn't going to happen. If we are realistic at what he has brought to SA over the past two years then his bowling was really just a part time benefit, a holding role if you will.

The importance is to replace him with a batsman, and that guy in my view should be Quinton de Kock, even though young he is a top order batsman and I see no need to wait.

I am more concerned about Alviro Pietersen's inability to really make a mark up front. He has his moments but are not in the same class as Amla, Smith, de Villiers or even du Plessis.

Duminy should be given more responsibility with the ball.

Batsmen

Smith
De Kock
Amla
De Villiers
Faf du Plessis
Duminy

Bowlers

Philander
Steyn
Morkel

These nine for me are inked onto the team sheet.

Between Elgar And Miller a decision must be made for the seventh batsman, on the bowling front we simply do not have a test spinner and should look at the youngsters for a fourth seemer.

Biltong, playing JP Duminy as your led spinner is a call for disaster in my view. South Africa may not have a Saeed Ajmal available, but they need a frontline spinner in their attack. Remember what happened when they went in with 4 seamers and Kallis against Australia last year? You'd have watched Kevin Pietersen becoming England's best bowler in the Headingley test last year againstSouth Africa? There are better spinners than JP Duminy in South Africa, and one of them have to play most of their tests. They might come across an absolute green field at times, even then they should think very very hard about going in with an all pace attack, on such a track, Steyn, Philander and Morkel should be enough, and if at all something happens, there should be enough variation available in the attack in the form of a spinner though he might not have to play a big role usually.
And, I am not yet fully convinced about JP Duminy as a batsman, (he might crack a ton tomorrow against India tomorrow for all that I am saying), he has been too inconsistent with the bat really. So placing all of South Africa's spin responsibilities on him may not be a very sound idea.

You may be right MSP, but I have not seen anyone in SA being a capable enough spinner at test .evel.

For me
Varo
Smith
Amla
Dup
AB
JP

Philander
Steyn
Morkel

The Kallis replacement situation is very dependent on where AB wants to bat in future. If he decides he is now the man at four, then I think he has to drop the gloves, but Faf's epic innings at the Wanderers at four makes me think he is possibly a better pick in any case. If AB drops the gloves, we have to pick a gloveman first and foremost. I like QdK, as everybody knows, but he isn't ready for First class wicketkeeping, let alone Test keeping. in my mind that leaves Dane Vilas, and Tsolekile - Vilas has the superior record by far, but he is an inferior gloveman, and isn't in great form at the moment. Thami on the other hand isn't good for much more than a nuggety fightback, but he scored a huge ton this autumn, and is in alright-ish form. Should AB keep the gloves, then Stiaan van Zyl deserves a shot, on form, possibly. He was eight runs away from back-to-back-to-back centuries this weekend, the first two being 150+. Quinton de Kock also becomes a contestant, with his red hot ODI form and FC average over 50. South Africa is probably the toughest place to bat in world cricket, and as such, we don't have guys jumping out with Pujara-esque stats, but as Faf showed, just getting an average of 40 in S.A. probably means you're up to it.

There is an abundance of bowling talent to fill up the fourth seamers spot, if you feel we really have to go that way. Kyle Abbot is absolutely on fire at the moment, and is taking wickets for fun. Marchant de Lange isnt quite ready for Test cricket again, but he oozes match-winner. We also have younger guys coming through like Ayabulela Gqamane, who after his ridiculous freshman season, is going through a sophomore slump, but still averages less than 20, with a strike rate of 35.

For all this, I'm still in favor of keeping Tahir, at least until the end of the summer. I know I'm the President, only Board member and sole member of his fan club, but he really isn't as bad as he seems. You don't take as many first class wickets as he does in as many countries without being really good. There are very few players in cricketing history with such records who didn't make the grades, and Im not betting on him being one of them.

Kingraf, Tahir is not as bad as many think, as well as he at times makes himself seem to be. But I don't think he is the material for South Africa's regular spinner role. Perhaps on turning tracks, but not otherwise, particularly since they won't have Kallis to fall back on when Tahir has one of those days where he either lands it halfway down the pitch or stay airborne for ever.
How's Harmer performing this domestic season? He has a bit of experience with the A side, is young, can bat. So perhaps they should give him a go, or revert to Peterson.

Just had a look at Harmer's record now. The record is impressive I have to say. 175 wickets from 46 matches, almost 4 wickets per game has to be impressive for a South African offy, and he's averaging around 32. And his FC batting average of 33 is above his bowling average, not bad for an all-rounder really!. And, his T-20 economy is under 7, suggesting some decent control as well. These are impressions from stats, I am sure kingraf, biltong, Gerry or others who would have observed him more closely can give us a better idea.

Well Kallis can't be replaced. A true giant of a cricketer , and one I have always admired.

Sorry to see him go , but if he judges it the right time to go then it probably is. Bit of a year for retirements , isn't it ?

SA will be OK , they have plenty of good players. But they are going to miss him.

Great career , hope he finishes it with a hundred   

To keep going at the level he has for as long as he has is incredible. There's been talk for a few years about him being shot as a bowler but he's still kept taking wickets even if he no longer is a front line option.
His batting alone stands up against the greats of this era and noone has even close to his all round record. He's only not been talked about alongside the big 3 because he's been seen as an all rounder and doesn't have the most flamboyant style.


South Africa have phenomenal depth in their batting at the moment, but this retirement will force a change to the balance of the side, especially if AB deck as to hang up the gloves.
Philander is a great bowler who can bat a bit, not a genuine all rounder, even batting 7 is a push for a guy who doesn't average over 25 in any format at any level.

India were perhaps unfortunate to be the last team to face what appears to be a pretty invicible SA first choice test side.
The series against aus is shaping up to be very tasty although I still think Warner is going to look a bit of a berk saying Australia will be the best batting side in the world.

Kallis - one of the greats of the modern game.     Excellent that he signed off with a century.

alfie wrote:Well Kallis can't be replaced. A true giant of a cricketer , and one I have always admired.

Sorry to see him go , but if he judges it the right time to go then it probably is.  Bit of a year for retirements , isn't it ?

SA will be OK , they have plenty of good players.  But they are going to miss him.

Great career , hope he finishes it with a hundred   

Got my wish ! Well played Kallis ...we are all going to miss you .

HoF awaits...